Lebanon Hopes For Snow

Published Date

Lebanon ski resort owners are praying for snow because the unusually warm weather this year has stalled the country’s lucrative ski season. Walid Kanaan runs the luxurious Intercontinental Mountain Resort and Spa at Mzaar in the Mountain town of Faraya, northeast of Beirut. He said many clients cancelled their reservations for the month of January.

Faraya is about 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) above sea level and winter sports like skiing, snowboarding, mountain climbing, and snowmobiling are quite popular. So far this year most of the winter activities have been limited. The owner of a Faraya ski shop said he has lost tens of thousands of dollars, and estimates that altogether, shops in the area have lost about 20 million dollars. He added that based on the last thirty years of experience, about 50 percent of seasonal sales occur between December 20th and January 5th.